The death toll from Israel’s ongoing genocide has risen to 35,173, Gaza-based health ministry announced on Tuesday.
The ministry stated that in the past 24 hours, eight massacres against families occurred, resulting in 82 deaths and 234 injuries. The total number of injuries during the offensive has reached at least 79,061. Many individuals remain trapped under rubble or stranded on roads, with rescuers struggling to reach them.
Last week, the Israeli army initiated an invasion of the eastern area of Rafah, seizing and controlling the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, thereby closing Gaza’s sole access point to the outside world.
The offensive, which began following a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, has devastated large areas of Gaza. Approximately 85% of the enclave’s population has been internally displaced due to the widespread destruction, compounded by a severe blockade restricting access to essential resources such as food, water, and medicine, according to the UN.
Israel has been accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. In January, an interim ruling suggested that Israel’s actions in Gaza could potentially constitute genocide and called on Tel Aviv to cease such acts and ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s civilians.
